Anti-Soldier strategy

The Soldier is a well-rounded, bulky class that is capable of both taking and dealing a moderate to high amount of damage. While slow on foot, the Soldier is known for his trademark ability to rocket jump, which allows him to quickly maneuver around a map. He is most effective at close range or on high ground, where he can use the powerful splash damage from his rockets to reliably dispatch foes. The Soldier has a number of different loadout options that, according to the situation, allow him to increase his offensive or defensive capabilities as well as buff teammates, making him extremely versatile. Although lacking many exploitable weaknesses, the Soldier is not the master of any one trade; for example, the Scout is faster while the Demoman and Heavy can deal more damage.

The Soldier's base speed is low. However, he can gain quick bursts of speed using rocket jumps, the Escape Plan when injured, or the Disciplinary Action when near teammates. If kept grounded, he should be easier to hit.

Weapon-specific

Primary weapons

While the projectiles from the Rocket Launcher travel fairly slowly, a Soldier will typically aim at your feet to hit you with the splash damage. Thus, seizing the high ground or keeping a distance makes it more difficult for him to hit you.

The Rocket Launcher has a low magazine size and reloads slowly; if a Soldier misses all of his shots, he becomes extremely vulnerable afterward.

Rockets from the Direct Hit travel faster and can kill low-health classes in one hit at close range. However, the splash damage radius is extremely low, so keep a moderate distance from the Soldier so that you can easily dodge his shots.

If launched into the air by an explosion, continue maneuvering to avoid being airshot, as the Direct Hit deals mini-crits to those propelled airborne by an explosion.

The Black Box heals the Soldier for up to 20 Health when its rockets hit an enemy, allowing him to stay in combat for prolonged periods of time. Rather than exchanging harassment, take out the Soldier before he can recover from any damage.

The Black Box only holds three rockets in its clip, leaving the Soldier quickly vulnerable. This also hinders his ability to ambush you through rocket jumping.

The Liberty Launcher’s rockets maintain the splash radius of those from the Rocket Launcher but travel moderately faster. Attack from a distance and make sure you have plenty of room to dodge any rockets that come your way.

The Liberty Launcher deals 25% less damage but holds 25% more rockets. Overall, it decreases the Soldier's total damage.

Never let a Soldier with the Beggar's Bazooka come close enough to unleash a barrage on your teammates. Ambush him as he loads, or force him to fire from a longer distance, where its lack of precision will cause some rockets to miss.

Secondary weapons

Armaments

A Soldier will typically use the Shotgun if he has no time to reload his Rocket Launcher or does not wish to damage himself from firing rockets at point-blank range. Either way, he is more vulnerable to attack when he wields his Shotgun instead of his primary weapon.

Shotgun pellets have a wide spread, so back away to reduce the amount of damage you take. Outmaneuver him so that he misses more often.

A Soldier wearing the Gunboats will often rocket jump to higher ground without suffering too much damage and rain rockets upon you. Either take the high ground yourself or kill him before he even has the chance to begin a rocket jump assault.

As the Gunboats replace the Soldier's Shotgun, he becomes less effective in direct combat; if he doesn't try to slowly reach you with his melee weapon, he risks self-injury from using his Rocket Launcher at close range.

A Soldier using the Mantreads will receive considerably less knock back from most weapons, allowing him to more easily maintain a high ground advantage. However, like with the Gunboats, he is deprived of a secondary weapon.

Keep an eye out for airborne Soldiers; aside from firing rockets at you, one might try to fall on you and inflict damage with his Mantreads.

The Mantreads only negate fall damage taken by the Soldier if he actually manages to land on an enemy; if you see a Soldier dropping towards you, back away so that he takes fall damage.

Mantreads grants the Soldier 200% more air control when explosive jumping, allowing him to do extremely sharp turns midair, making air shots very hard. Wait for him to land before attacking.

The Righteous Bison deals considerably less damage than the Shotgun, but pierces through enemies and is effective at medium- to long-range harassment. Avoid clustering near your teammates to reduce the effectiveness of its piercing shots.

The Righteous Bison shots can hit the same target multiple times. Avoid backpedaling or you will suffer extreme damage, especially in confined areas.

The B.A.S.E Jumper allows a Soldier to slow his descent and fire more rockets at you from midair. Watch out for the potential barrage if a rocket jumping Soldier suddenly deploys it, especially if he is also using the Air Strike.

The B.A.S.E Jumper is deadly when used alongside the Market Gardener. Keep an eye on an airborne Soldier to ensure he doesn't get close enough to smack you.

Take advantage of how the B.A.S.E. Jumper slows the Soldier and shoot him out of the sky with an accurate weapon.

The B.A.S.E. Jumper cannot be deployed again once retracted until he touches the ground. You can either harass him in the air or force him to retract the parachute, taking fall damage.

The Panic Attack deals less damage per shot and has a bigger dispersion with consecutive shots, but is barely affected by random spread, shoots more pellets at once and deploys 50% faster. Keep your range and force him to keep firing and increase his weapon spread.

Banners

A Soldier's banners provide a 10-second area-of-effect buff to nearby allies once he has dealt enough damage. Because the Soldier's teammates must remain close to him, weapons with splash damage are effective for fighting a wave of buffed enemies. Killing the Soldier will end the effect immediately; if possible, aim for him first. Additionally, a Soldier using a banner lacks a secondary weapon, making him less effective in direct combat; if taken down quickly, he won't be able to activate his chosen banner.

The Buff Banner allows a Soldier and his allies to deal mini-crits; it's best to fight from behind cover while his team is buffed. You may also choose to retreat, wasting the limited time your enemies have to inflict more damage.

The Half-Zatoichi heals its wielder by 50% of his base health upon obtaining a kill. If you see a Soldier slay a teammate with this weapon, know that he will have at least 100 health.

If the Half-Zatoichi's wielder does not obtain a kill before sheathing the blade, he takes 50 damage when sheathing the weapon. The Soldier is slow, so stay outside his melee range to force a weapon switch.

Reducing the Soldier to below 50 health prevents him from sheathing the weapon.

Keep an eye out for any airborne Soldier; aside from firing rockets at you, he might try to use his Market Gardener to land a guaranteed critical hit. Keep your distance until he lands or snipe him out of the sky.

An enemy Soldier equipped with the Disciplinary Action will use it to hustle his team to the battlefield rather than fight. Take care that you aren't outnumbered by any additional enemies he brought along.